


Drift In A Dream

by GotTheSilver



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-09
Updated: 2013-01-09
Packaged: 2017-11-24 05:49:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/631125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GotTheSilver/pseuds/GotTheSilver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part of <a href="http://trope-bingo.dreamwidth.org/">Trope Bingo</a>.</p><p> <i>Selina’s eyes stared up at him and her legs started to kick when Stiles put the mixture on the stove.  Her lower lip started to quiver and, without thinking, Derek put his pinkie in her mouth and bit back a smile when she started to suck on it.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Drift In A Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Trope: Accidental Baby Acquisition.
> 
> Title from The Dixie Chicks - Lullaby

Derek snuck in Stiles’ window and frowned when he realised Stiles wasn’t in his room. He could sense Stiles was in the house and that there was someone else there as well. Not the Sheriff, not anyone one Derek knew.

A soft voice floated up the stairs, a nursery rhyme that Derek faintly remembered from his own childhood. He walked down the stairs, following the voice. Stiles was sitting on the sofa, a baby by his feet in a rocker. He was jogging the rocker with his foot, singing and going over his homework at the same time. Derek stopped dead in the doorway, any words he had stuck in his throat.

“I know you’re there, Derek,” Stiles said. “You can come in, she won’t bite.”

Derek huffed out a noise as he sat next to Stiles. The baby’s eyes fixated on him, and a flash of memory crossed his mind. His baby cousins had been fascinated by new faces. “Where’d she come from?”

“The station. It’s a safe haven drop off.”

“Shouldn’t she be with -”

“Someone else?” Stiles laughed. “Yeah, probably, but Beacon Hills isn’t exactly a metropolitan city. Everyone that’s signed up to be an emergency care house can’t take her, and DCFS can’t get here until after the weekend. She’s not in danger, so she’s kind of a low priority.”

“So you took her?”

Stiles made a face at him. “No dude, my dad did, but he has to work so she’s left with me. She seems pretty cool with it.”

“She have a name?” Derek asked.

“We’re not really, uh - we’re not meant to name her, but it’s weird to just call her ‘the baby’, so I’ve maybe been calling her Selina.”

Derek raised an eyebrow, “Selina?”

“After Selina Kyle. Don’t even - I know you at least saw Dark Knight Rises, we all went to see that, remember?”

“Uh huh. How come you know what to do with her?”

“I’ve got cousins,” Stiles shrugged. “And it’s not the first time dad’s had to do this, for a small town we get a lot of abandoned babies.”

“It’s not that strange, small towns lead to boredom, which leads to teenagers making bad decisions.”

“Like deciding to be bitten by a random dude who creeps around a school during the day?”

Derek glared at Stiles. “Or like going out and throwing themselves in the way of anything that screams danger?”

“Oh that hurts,” Stiles shifted his homework onto the table and reached down to lift Selina up. “Hey Catwoman, whatcha fussing for? Hungry? Or you just want some attention?” He settled her in his arms, her face peeking over his shoulder as he rubbed her back. “You wondering who the grump is? Yeah, I bet you are what with all the glaring going on. Don’t worry, that’s just how his face is.”

Stiles carried on talking to her as he stood up and walked around the room. He went back and forth before he stood by the window and looked out, the streetlights cast shadows on his face and Derek couldn’t help but stare.

“Did you want something?” Stiles asked. “Derek?”

“Just -” Derek shook his head. “It’s not urgent, it can wait.”

Stiles narrowed his eyes at him before he nodded, “Okay. Well, if you’re sticking around, you can help me.”

“Help you?”

“Yeah, help me. As in hold Selina while I make up a bottle, she’s going to get really grumpy soon and it’ll be better if someone’s holding her.”

“I could make the bottle,” said Derek.

“You know how to make a bottle?”

“I had younger siblings, human siblings,” Derek said quietly. “My parents needed help sometimes.”

“Oh. I - I’m sorry for -”

“Don’t be.”

“Okay. Come on then, before she kicks off.”

In the kitchen, Stiles handed Selina off to Derek and reached for the box of formula. Derek held her as gently as he could, it had always been the human children in his family that made him feel like something other than human. He’d learnt how to control his strength so he could play with them and not cause injury. Selina’s eyes stared up at him and her legs started to kick when Stiles put the mixture on the stove. Her lower lip started to quiver and, without thinking, Derek put his pinkie in her mouth and bit back a smile when she started to suck on it.

“You doing okay there?”

“Yeah,” Derek said as Selina’s feet knocked against his hand. “We’re doing fine.” He looked up when he heard Stiles’ heart rate increase, Stiles was holding the bottle as he waited for it to cool, his eyes locked on Derek and Selina.

“You - you’re good at that. If you took your shirt off you’d look like a poster my mom had. I mean, not that you should take off your shirt. You shouldn’t. No stripping in front of the baby, that’s probably a basic parenting rule, right?”

Derek ignored Stiles’ chatter and removed his finger from Selina’s mouth, she scrunched her face up as if she was about to cry. “Stiles, bottle?”

“What? Oh - yeah, yes.” Stiles squeezed some formula onto his wrist and nodded, satisfied with the temperature before he handed it to Derek.

Derek didn’t look up as he put the bottle in Selina’s mouth. He felt two pairs of eyes on him as Selina greedily sucked down the formula and waited, knowing Stiles would say something sooner or later.

“So, you’re okay just,” Stiles waved a hand. “Sitting around feeding a baby you don’t know?”

“You said you needed help.”

“Because everyone knows your main purpose in life is to be helpful,” Stiles snarked.

“How about you be helpful and make some dinner?”

Stiles turned around and stuck his head in the freezer. “Since when am I a housewife?” he mumbled to himself.

Derek snorted and moved the bottle away from Selina’s fussy hands. He grabbed the dish cloth from the table and draped it over his shoulder so he could burp her. She let out a tiny noise as he shifted her and started to pat her back.

“You’ve got a choice of frozen pizza, or frozen chicken because it’s way too late for me to cook properly.”

“Classy, Stiles.”

Stiles glared at him, “You want free food, you take what you get. Or would you rather go and hunt down a squirrel in the garden?”

“Pizza,” Derek winced as Selina burped.

“Wow,” Stiles moved behind Derek and made a face at Selina. “That was quite an impressive burp, missy. You could compete with Scott.”

“You’ve got high aims for her.”

“Dude, shut up. Do you want dinner or not?”

Derek nodded and removed the dish cloth from his shoulder. Selina scrunched up her face as he wiped her mouth and he laughed involuntarily. He felt Stiles’ eyes on him and shifted his shoulders uncomfortably.

“I - I should put the pizza in the oven,” Stiles said.

“Okay.” Derek stood up with Selina in his arms and headed back into the living room. He sat on the floor and put her back in the rocker. After he strapped her in, she started kicking her legs about, Derek gently took one of her feet and tickled it, making her squeak with delight.

“You want a drink with your pizza?” Stiles called.

“I’m good,” answered Derek as he played peekaboo with Selina.

Stiles came into the room balancing the pizza and a drink for himself. He put the plate on the floor next to Derek and grabbed a slice before he sat on the sofa behind Derek, knees pressed against Derek’s back. Selina cooed at Derek, her hand attempted to grab at his finger when he tickled her tummy before he took some pizza. They ate in silence, Selina occasionally interrupted with noises to demand attention from either of them.

“Here,” Stiles threw a soft toy over Derek’s shoulder. “She liked this one before.”

Derek heard Stiles’ heartbeat change as Derek waved the toy at Selina before he let her grab it from him. It hadn’t sped up, but it had - changed. It was odd. When Derek leant back, Stiles moved his legs either side of Derek’s shoulders and Derek tried not to think about what that looked like. Selina started to grizzle, so Derek jogged the rocker with his left hand and made a shushing noise.

Stiles’ thighs pressed against Derek’s body as he sat forward and leant over Derek. “Come on Catwoman, time for a rest,” he said. “Everyone needs sleep. Stiles needs sleep. Stiles is not ready to be a teen father.”

Derek chuckled, “If you want to crash out, I’ll watch her.”

“Oh, uh - do you really not have anywhere else to be? Not that I’m gonna say no because, yeah, I need sleep, but -”

“Stiles. Stop. Just stay down here if you’re sleeping.”

“Why, so you can creep on me while I’m unconscious?”

“So if your father comes home, you can explain why I’m here.”

Stiles pulled his legs up onto the sofa and stretched out. “Good plan,” he yawned. He waved a hand at Selina, Derek snorted when it hit him on the head and he rolled his eyes at the ceiling when he heard Stiles’ breathing even out.

Selina made a snuffling noise, the soft ladybug still clutched in her hand. Derek watched her and laughed quietly as she started to fall asleep, her eyes fluttering shut.

-

Derek was awoken by a door being closed, he blinked and looked around at the light shining through the window and frowned. The last thing he remembered was putting Selina back in the rocker after changing her diaper. Derek’s brain was slow with sleep and it took him until the Sheriff was standing in the doorway to realise what the front door closing meant.

“Uh -”

The Sheriff looked from Derek laying on the floor, to Selina in her rocker, to Stiles still asleep on the sofa, and back at Derek again. “The only reason I am not shouting is because of that little girl,” the Sheriff sighed. “Mind telling me what’s going on here?”

“Uh. I - helped?”

“Right,” the Sheriff drawled. He took a few steps into the room and stood over Stiles. “Stiles. Wake up.”

“Wha’s g’n on?” Stiles muttered as he rolled over on the sofa. “S’lina ‘kay, D’rk’s here.”

“Oh I know Derek’s here.”

Stiles stilled and opened his eyes. “Dad?”

“Yep,” the Sheriff shoved Stiles’ legs off the sofa and sat down. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

“Um, Derek’s here?” Stiles said as he sat up. He rubbed his eyes and looked down at Selina. “And Selina’s okay. Which is good.”

“It is good, though I’m pretty sure we had the conversation about naming the safe haven babies.”

“Oh my God, Dad, just because I find it weird to call them ‘the baby’ doesn’t mean I get attached. Trust me, I don’t want one to keep.”

Derek swallowed a laugh and pulled himself into a sitting position, Selina let out a wail as he jostled the rocker. He frowned, scooped her up and rested her head against his shoulder. “It’s way too early for that noise, kiddo,” he whispered. He rubbed his cheek against the top of her head.

“Huh,” said Sheriff Stilinski.

Stiles slumped back on the sofa and sighed, “See, I told you everything was fine.”

“You really think that’s going to cut it?”

“I can dream, can’t I? Look, Derek came over and offered to help out with Selina when he saw I was alone which, by the way, he didn’t have to. We fed her, and played with her, and then Derek said he’d watch her while I slept, and after that I don’t know what happened because the next thing I knew you were standing over me. Just so you know, totally not my favourite way to wake up.”

“Not exactly my highest priority right now, son.”

“Yeah, right, so - uh - how much trouble am I in?” Stiles winced.

“Stiles -” the Sheriff broke off and sighed. “Look, I am not happy about Derek spending the night here, but I’m tired and some jackass thought it was a good idea to drive around hitting mail boxes with a mallet last night. I’m going to take a nap, then my loving son will make me a late breakfast when I wake up.”

“Can Derek stay? He’s helpful and - Selina likes him.”

Derek attempted to keep his face neutral, but his eyes widened as the Sheriff looked at him. He tried to look as innocent as possible and not like, well - not like a previous murder suspect. Stiles’ desire for Derek to stay was unexpected, anyone wanting Derek to stay was unexpected, and Stiles risking irritating his father by asking was - Derek was unnerved by it.

“Fine. He can stay,” the Sheriff rolled his eyes. “I’m going to bed.”

“Best dad ever.”

“Uh huh,” said the Sheriff as he left the room.

Stiles sat forward and brushed a hand over Selina’s head, his fingertips grazed Derek’s cheek before he slumped back on the sofa. “So,” Stiles yawned. “You hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“Okay, awesome, you deal with her and I’ll make some food,” Stiles got up from the sofa and looked down at Derek. “How come you didn’t hear my dad drive up?”

“Don’t know.”

Stiles narrowed his eyes and chewed on his bottom lip. “You don’t know?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Right. Fine, you want to play it like that then - fine. Whatever. Coffee?”

Derek nodded and sighed as he held Selina close to him before he stood up. He could hear Stiles in the kitchen, the sizzle of bacon, and eggs being cracked against a bowl. Derek found a stash of baby clothes by the side of the sofa, next to the diapers, and changed Selina, smiling when she attempted to grab at him. Stiles cleared his throat behind him, Derek turned around and took the mug of coffee Stiles offered to him. “Thanks,” he said.

Stiles shrugged and picked up Selina. He kissed her cheek and cuddled her before he placed her in the rocker. “Just for a little while so we can eat, baby girl,” he said softly. “Afterwards we’ll feed you and then we can play, okay?” Stiles strung a length of toys across the rocker and laughed as Selina’s chubby hands started to grab at them, her face lighting up when some of them made noises. He stood up and glanced at Derek, “I’ll bring the food in.”

“Okay,” Derek said, his hands tightened around the coffee mug.

Selina babbled in the background as they ate, Derek caught Stiles glancing at him whenever he looked at Selina, or reached out to jog the rocker.

“You done?”

“Uh huh.”

Stiles took the plates back into the kitchen. When he came back in, he sat on the floor and tickled Selina’s feet. Derek made a frustrated noise and rubbed a hand over his face.

“Stiles, if -” Derek broke off.

“What?”

“If you don’t want me here, I can - why did you ask your dad to let me stay and then -”

“What are you talking about?” Stiles craned his neck and looked at Derek. “I want you here.”

“Then why are you being like this?”

“I’m not being like anything.”

Derek glared at him and didn’t say a word.

“Oh my God, Derek, seriously?” Stiles crawled back onto the sofa. “You’re the one who - answer my question, why didn’t you hear my dad’s car? Why didn’t you wake up before he was in the house?”

“Why is it important?”

“Because I want you to say the words,” said Stiles.

“What? You want me to say that I felt safe? That I let my guard down enough to sleep?”

“Yes,” Stiles exclaimed. “That’s exactly what I want you to say. Why is it so hard for you to admit you feel safe here? Shit, Derek, it’s not a weakness.”

“It is. It’s a weakness. If I feel safe, I forget. If I forget, people die.”

Stiles shook his head, “You are so screwed up man. So screwed up.”

“Stiles.”

“No, no, I’m not letting you ignore that. You - you’ve climbed through my window when bleeding out and you can’t even admit you feel safe here? Seriously?” Stiles rested a hand on Derek’s leg. “Derek. You’re allowed to feel safe. I - I like that you feel safe here.”

Derek stared at Stiles’ hand on his leg. “It’s not that easy, Stiles.”

“I’m not saying it has to be. When my mom - when she - I was terrified of my dad dying as well. I thought that one day I’d wake up and Scott’s mom would be telling me that I was - so I didn’t sleep when he was on nights. I’d lay awake on Scott’s floor, running through different scenarios in my head. If it’d be some dude with a gun, or if he’d get hit by a car and what would happen to me after. So, yeah, okay, I get it. It’s not easy. But it’s worth it,” Stiles shrugged. “I thought it was, anyway.”

Stiles didn’t move his hand from Derek’s leg as they sat there in silence. It wasn’t awkward, Derek just felt - comfortable, and he couldn’t place the last time he’d felt like that. He took a breath and placed his own hand over Stiles’. Stiles looked up, a small grin played at the edge of his mouth and Derek tried to resist returning it. They both jumped when Selina cried out. Derek reached her first, picked her up and cradled her to his chest.

“What does she - hungry, or a change?” asked Stiles.

“Hungry, I think.”

Stiles walked into the kitchen, Derek followed him, bouncing Selina as he whispered words in her ear. She made a snuffling noise and gripped his t shirt with her fingers.

“Here,” Stiles handed him a bottle. “I made it earlier, it should be cool enough for her.”

Derek sat at the table and rearranged Selina before he took the bottle from Stiles. Her mouth sucked on the teat eagerly and Derek laughed at how wide her eyes went as she ate. Stiles took the seat next to Derek and played with Selina’s foot, grinning when she kicked at him. Derek caught Stiles’ eye and bit his lip when Stiles smiled easily at him. He looked back down at Selina and wiped up some formula from the corner of her mouth with his finger. In one move, Stiles picked up a dishcloth and pressed a kiss against the corner of Derek’s mouth. Derek felt his cheeks flush and let Stiles wipe the formula from his hand.

Selina started to fuss, and Stiles draped the dishcloth over his shoulder. He reached out his hands. “Here, gimme. I’ll burp her.”

“Sure?”

“I do know how to burp a baby, Derek.”

Derek smirked and handed her to him.

“Hey Catwoman,” Stiles said as he patted Selina’s back. “Yeah, you’ve got me now. I know, I know, my chest isn’t as comfy as Derek’s, but it’s not bad, right? Serves a purpose for your needs right now, yeah? So, it’s been fun having you here, but tomorrow someone is gonna come and take you away to live somewhere else, and that’s okay because you deserve a good home with people who love you. Yeah you do,” Stiles sighed. “You’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna be just fine. Yeah, you’re gonna be fine because you just spit up on me. Awesome.”

Derek smirked at the look on Stiles’ face and twisted round to glance at Stiles’ back. “If it helps, she got it all on the dish cloth.” He brushed his fingers across the back of Stiles’ neck and enjoyed the way Stiles tried, and failed, to suppress a shiver.

Stiles rolled his eyes at him as he shifted Selina in his arms and wiped her mouth with the dish cloth. “Okay, let’s go play,” Stiles grinned at her.

-

Derek was on the sofa with Selina asleep on his chest when the Sheriff woke up. He tensed up slightly and tapped Stiles on the shoulder, “Your dad’s awake.”

“Is he out of bed yet?” Stiles asked as he put the laptop next to him on the floor.

“I don’t hear anything. He’s just - awake.”

“Uh huh, okay, good,” Stiles knelt so he was an equal height with Derek on the sofa. He leant down and kissed Derek quickly, pulling back before Derek registered what had happened. Stiles rested his chin on Derek’s shoulder and traced a finger over Selina’s hand where it was fisted in Derek’s shirt.

“Stiles?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you trying to get me shot?”

Stiles sighed and lifted his head up, “No. You’re just - kind of cute.”

Derek raised his eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

“Oh God, forget I said that,” Stiles mumbled. “You’re holding a sleeping baby, I cannot be held responsible for what comes out of my mouth.”

“That is not something a father wants to hear.”

Stiles turned around, stumbled and almost fell on his laptop. “Dad, um, hi?”

“Hi,” the Sheriff sat in the armchair. “So, breakfast?”

“Yeah, yes, I can do that, absolutely. Okay,” Stiles stood up and looked down at Derek and Selina before he turned towards his dad. “No interrogating our guest.”

“Our guest?”

“Fine, my guest. Be nice, or else I’ll bin the regular bacon.”

The Sheriff shook his head and pointed towards the kitchen, “Go. Before your cranky father decides to get even crankier.”

“I’m gone, I’m gone,” said Stiles as he escaped.

Once Stiles was gone, the Sheriff turned his gaze on Derek. He resisted the urge to jump up and run away and instead ran his hand down Selina’s back before he looked up and met the Sheriff’s eyes.

“I didn’t know you knew my son well enough to play house with him.”

Derek internally winced, “Uh. I didn’t know that she would be here when I came over.”

“And why did you come over?”

“Stiles - we’re friends.”

“Friends, yeah, I know that,” the Sheriff said. “Most of his friends would run a mile from helping out with a child.”

“I had younger brothers and sisters, little cousins. They all - I missed being around kids.”

“Right,” the Sheriff leant forward in his chair. “Still doesn’t explain what you were doing here with my son in the first place.”

Derek frowned. “We’re friends. Friends hang out with each other. I just - thought we could watch a movie or something.”

“And Stiles was your first choice for that?”

“I -” Derek was saved from having to answer by Selina waking up. She started to cry, and Derek scrambled off the sofa and rocked her until she calmed down.

“You’re good at that,” the Sheriff said, his eyes fixed on Derek.

“Thank you, sir,” said Derek.

Stiles walked in after that, a tray balanced in one hand with a large mug of coffee in the other. He placed the coffee on the table and handed the tray to his dad.

“This looks good, Stiles.”

Stiles nodded, “And there’s been no bloodshed in here, which is a good thing because, hello, baby,” he gestured at Selina. “Babies and blood would be bad especially for, y’know, a Sheriff and -”

“Stiles,” the Sheriff held a hand up. “Enough.”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry. So -”

“I think it’s time for Derek to go home now,” the Sheriff said around a mouthful of pancake.

“Um. Okay.”

Derek kissed the side of Selina’s head and passed her over to Stiles. He traced a finger across her cheek, “Good luck, kid,” he sighed.

“I’ll, uh, see you to the door,” said Stiles.

The Sheriff made a disapproving noise, but otherwise said nothing.

They stood by the door, Stiles bounced Selina in his arms and laughed when she started to babble. Derek watched him, there was a dangerous feeling of want in his chest. He tried to shake it off, but Stiles looked at him with wide eyes and Derek couldn’t resist leaning in to kiss him.

“I’m pretty sure doing that in front of the baby is, like, awful,” Stiles muttered when Derek stepped back. “But I don’t think I care. Huh. I wouldn’t object to you creeping into my room tonight, just so you know.”

Derek rolled his eyes and shot Stiles a fond look, “You’re impossible.”

“And proud of it,” Stiles said. “Come on Catwoman, let’s go and face the music. Dad can’t kill me if I’m holding you.”

Derek had walked across the block when he picked up the Sheriff’s voice in the Stilinski house.

“So, son. Just how close are you and Derek Hale?”

**Author's Note:**

> The poster Stiles references is the Athena poster with the man and the baby. It probably wasn't onsale in the US, but, hey, maybe Mama Stilinski had a European pen pal!


End file.
